In September 2016, after more than 30 years of acquiring and re-purposing buildings to provide supportive shelter to artists and writers, the Vermont Studio Center broke ground on the first project in a 10-year Campus Master Plan that will result in comprehensive upgrades in sustainability, historic preservation, accessibility, safety, function, and comfort in each of our studio and housing buildings.

We have worked closely with our construction team to minimize disruptions to campus life throughout this renovation project. Construction will only take place during normal daytime business hours (weekdays only, beginning no earlier than 7:30am and ending no later than 5:00pm), and all of our campus spaces outside of the immediate construction zone will remain fully operational.

The first project in this Campus Master Plan is the renovation and historic preservation of our Kowalsky House (1896) & Annex (1834) for resident housing.

Early on the morning of June 7th, 2016, a fire in the VSC Church Studios destroyed the studios of 12 VSC resident and staff artists and writers, and nearly destroyed one of Johnson, Vermont's historic Main Street landmarks.

Thanks to the generosity of the VSC community, we met our matching goal--construction to restore and reopen this special building as VSC's first historically preserved, energy-efficient, accessible, and fully sprinklered studio space will begin in summer 2017!

Anticipated Project Start Date: June 2017

The VSC Campus in 2025

The flyover video below shows a model of the future of the VSC campus in 2025 and beyond:

This plan could not have taken shape without the philanthropic leadership of Cushman Design Group*, whose work will ensure that the distinctive sense of place and community that has distinguished VSC since 1984 will endure for generations to come.

Designer Milford Cushman of Cushman Design Group in Stowe, VT (shown far right) presents the Kowalsky House renovation plan to the VSC Board of Trustees

“This is the project of a lifetime” 

— Milford Cushman

Developed together over two years of intensive study, reflection, and design work, this comprehensive and ambitious plan reflects our shared commitment to energy efficiency, building integrity, universal accessibility, privacy, tranquility, health, safety, and the Vermont traditions of modesty, simplicity, and economy.

The principles guiding the campus planning process aim to:

Preserve the historic integrity and beauty of the VSC campus

Celebrate a sense of place in Johnson and Vermont

Insist on the health and human safety of the VSC community

Be mindful of VSC’s role as a neighbor in Johnson

Think forward about VSC’s program and corresponding space requirements

Reduce VSC’s impact on the environment

Minimize moisture in foundations and structures

Care for structural integrity and modernize systems

Build in maintenance and service efficiencies

Foster privacy, silence, and tranquility inside and out

Strengthen VSC’s green spaces and riverbanks

Stabilize long-term operational and energy costs

Consider adjacent properties and protection

Extend VSC’s tradition of modesty and simplicity

*Milford Cushman and Terri Gregory's contribution to this project, which has been donated entirely in-kind, is currently in excess of $175,000 and will total approximately $300,000, spread out on an as needed basis over 12 year time frame or until the VSC Master Plan is implemented.